Plans show new info about Doctors Hospital's proposed freestanding ER in Columbia County

Doctors Hospital of Augusta's proposed freestanding emergency room in Columbia County is closer to construction.

More than four years after the Augusta hospital got state approval to build an ER in Evans, plans have been released for subcontractors to tender bids on aspects of the construction project.

The ER is planned to be built on the former site of Fatz Cafe, 464 N. Belair Rd. The restaurant opened in 2004 and closed abruptly in 2019.

Losing its appeal: Doctors Hospital ends fight for Columbia County hospital

On the 2.7-acre land parcel, Doctors plans to build a 10,860-square-foot medical facility including 11 exam rooms, a lab, a pharmacy and radiology services. Front and rear entrances will accommodate ambulances.

The building would face North Belair, right across the street from competitor Piedmont Healthcare's primary care campus in Evans, formerly University Health Care System.

Doctors lost its final appeal in 2020 in its lawsuit against the Georgia Department of Community Health over who had the right to establish a Columbia County hospital.

In 2014, the DCH granted a state license to Augusta University Medical Center, now Wellstar, to build the hospital, provided Columbia County pays at least 25% of the cost. That hospital is currently being built near Grovetown.

This article originally appeared on Augusta Chronicle: Plans show new info about Doctors Hospital's proposed freestanding ER in Columbia County